Tech: Harmonica racks

Subject: Tech: Harmonica racks
From: GUEST,Fred Miller
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 05:37 PM

I'm playing guitar and harmonica a lot lately, and couldn't find anything about racks in a search. My basic rack is okay, but throws me a bit here and there into a looser mode than I would do hand-held. Someone mentioned to me once that there were some better ones now, but I wasn't doing it then. Are there variants better for tighter playing? Tips?

Subject: RE: Tech: Harmonica racks
From: Little Hawk
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 06:20 PM

The best harmonica rack I've seen has 3 tightening screws instead of the usual 2. The harmonica is held in these two wire thingies which grip it from either end. Sorry, I do not recall the make. It's not as easy changing them with this one, but it works better for holding the harp and not sinking to half-mast while you're playing.

Another thing you can do is put small lock-washers under the screws to increase their grip when tightened.

- LH

Subject: RE: Tech: Harmonica racks
From: Mark Ross
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 06:34 PM

The Lee Oskar rack is the closest thing to the old ones I have seen,but it only works with Marine Band-style harps. It's not wide enough for anything bigger than those. John Hammond gave me one that he had brought back from Japan and it works a lot better than the Hohner.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Tech: Harmonica racks
From: GUEST,Fred Miller
Date: 16 Nov 02 - 09:25 AM

Thanks yall. I'm not playing Chromatic or special so I'll check out Oskar, and might try lock washers. But usually what'll happen is the neck-curve starts to ride up in back in mid-stuff, when I can't tip it back again til the phrase ends.